A Liberty Devotional by Barbara Baker
Good morning! Today our Lord is blessing us in Isaiah 61:1:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Isaiah 61:1
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to thosewho are bound;”
Jesus spoke these words in the synagogue in Nazareth and it is recorded in Luke 4:17-20. Jesus proclaimed Himself the long-awaited Messiah. His life on earth as our Lord incarnate fulfilled this prophecy of liberty to the captives through His teachings, healings, ministry passed on to His disciples, and, in the end, His death on the Cross that freed all believers for eternity.
As we celebrate the 4th of July as our nation’s birth through declaration of freedom, let us not lose sight of the fact that our nation was founded by groups of God’s children seeking religious freedom. Without becoming political in any way, this is just a reminder that our spiritual freedom and our nation’s liberty are intrinsically entwined – woven together in a tapestry of men and women fighting for God’s great plan in their lives. God Almighty ordained freedom for the captives and healing for those in need: all His children.
Over our couple of centuries of democracy, the 4th of July has evolved into picnics, parades and fanfare. Most Americans have fond memories of family events and gatherings for this special holiday. My favorite is my daughter when she was two years old. She was born on the 4th of July, so it was her birthday. We went to a city park in Colorado Springs for a concert where an orchestra ended with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and live cannons that had been brought in from the Army post.
The fireworks started while the cannons were shooting over the lake. It was a powerful crescendo. Even now I hold onto a beautiful memory of my little daughter twirling with her arms held high, sure that all this hoopla was to celebrate her birthday. It was several years before she clearly understood that all the fuss wasn’t about her, but how fortunate she was to be born on our nation’s birthday.
As we make more memories this year, let’s not lose sight of the freedom that we have in God through Christ. Our nation was born because some religious zealots decided to leave their homeland to find a place where all could experience spiritual freedom. Similarly, Jesus left His homeland, heaven, to bring true freedom to all through His life, death and resurrection. As we barbecue and watch fireworks displays, let’s praise our Lord who proclaims liberty for the captives. Freedom is truly found in our Lord and Savior.
Jesus loves you! Me, too!